Want to become famous? Have your own personalized chocolate bar! Dream Chocolate can do this for you and it is surprisingly inexpensive.

Dream Chocolate evolved from Salmon River Foods, the spawn of a trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Kay Johnson was burned out by thirty years in the food service industry and decided to sell his business and begin anew. Quite by accident he received a call asking if his new company Salmon River Foods would consider selling chocolate bars. Kay's son Rob was employed by a German company and was frequently flying to Europe and returning with wonderful chocolate as family gifts. Kay wondered how we could produce European style chocolate (no waxes or preservatives) in the US. He found a US supplier of high quality chocolate and with his son's help found a supplier in Germany who would ship to the US. Kay purchased a chocolate factory and began production in April 2002.

Kay is assisted by Kathleen Wasson, Vice President, who oversees the creative arts department. She joined the start-up company at the beginning and, in addition to overseeing the plant, she edits the many retail and custom labels produced for Dream Chocolate bars. Kathleen loves her job and has discovered that where ever she goes, the magic word chocolate is a great conversation opener.

What started with one basic milk chocolate bar has grown to include two milks, two darks, two semi-sweets, one white, one bitter-sweet and various adaptations involving coffee, berries, and fresh mint. The base chocolate is shipped from Germany, melted and flavored before being tempered (a process that aligns the crystals in molten chocolate to produce the best texture balance of firm and creamy). "It's a high-end process," Kay says. "The chocolate is temperamental, and much like wine, there are many different kinds, qualities, and layers of flavor. We try to make ours less sugary and more pure, so that chocolate is the first thing you taste."

The chocolate is wonderful, but the real charm of the product is its custom labeling. For individual snacking, Dream Chocolate bars are sold in specialty markets, fine gift stores, and other locations. They are also available for corporate events and celebrations such as weddings and birthdays.

Kay says "The perks of the business (free chocolate and the mystique of owning a factory) are great, but the emphasis is on making great sweets. Everyone who works here loves it. It's a lot of fun and an art-form to make chocolate."